Saturday, February 16, 2013

Dealing with a project team member who is not performing to
his or her duties on the project team capability is a task
that most Project Managers (PMs) don’t want to deal with. This person can be
poison to the overall project and its outcome for multiple reasons: they can
bring the morale of the team down, they can sabotage the otherwise good work of
other team members, they can disrupt your management of the project, and worst
of all they take the air of the project’s progress.

Now we can agree that there are times when a team member may
underperform because of reasons that are out of his or her control. The PM must
be careful not to judge a member as an underperformer if that is the case and to
move quickly to remedy the situation. This is done with transparency, meaning
with the member’s knowledge that he/she may have to leave the team to help
remedy the situation, but would have no impact on the member’s credibility or
career.

However, we know that there are individuals who underperform
on projects as well as at their regular job. So, what are the tell-tale signs
of an underperforming team member and what should a PM do to remediate the
situation?

Tell-tale Signs of an Underperforming team Member

There are a number of signs of an underperforming team
member, but here are some of the more usual examples:

·Consistently does not attend meetings, or is
always late to meetings

·Does not meet targets and does not care about
the impact to the project

·Disrupts other team members when he/she does not
meet targets

·Does not understand deliverables and does not
communicate this

·Does not understand his/her role on the team

What Can a PM Do?

When a PM realizes that a member of the project team is an
underperformer, the first step is to confront the member as soon as possible. Similar
to working with a direct employee, the PM must take time to meet with the underperforming
team member and communicate the impact of his or her performance on the other
team members and the project as a whole. If there is a lack of understanding on
the part of the team member, the PM has the responsibility and the authority to
educate the member.

After that meeting,
the PM must track the progress of that team member to ensure that all issues
have been resolved. If the underperforming team member continues to
underperform, the PM must take the next step and meet with the member and his
or her direct manager. In this meeting, the PM must bring documentation of the
impact on the project and the other team members to the managers’ attention.
This is a meeting the PM should request on record if the manager is aware of
the situation, and if the manager has that report on other projects the PM is
not aware of. If the manager has the member on more projects that was
originally reported to the PM, then the PM must request that either the member
be taken off the other projects or that a new member be allocated to the PM’s
project.

If the manager does not make a decision in this case, the PM
has no other option than to go to the sponsor, and possibly the Program
Management Committee, and request removal of the underperforming team member.

If the manager does take the member off the other projects,
then the PM must work with the member to ensure that the member now meets the
required tasks and re-engages the project team. This may be difficult if the
other team members do not want to have this member on the team. It is up to the
PM to ensure that the other team members work with the member in question so as
to move the project forward.

If the manager
allocates a new member to the PM’s team, the PM must bring the new member up to
speed. An additional meeting with the project team to introduce the new member
and to allocate a “buddy” to the new member is the best solution.

Team Morale

During the process of dealing with the underperforming team
member, it is crucial that the PM maintains the morale of the other team
members. The PM must manage the team to meet their objectives and tasks to keep
the project moving as best as possible. In all of this, the PM must keep the
sponsor and the Program Management Committee informed to ensure there are no
surprises. This is not easily done and will be an additional burden for the PM.
The PM must keep the team focused on the project goals and may need the help of
the sponsor and the Program Management Committee in doing so.

I am open to discussion at any time on these blogs or anything else related to project management you would like to explore. If you would like to comment about this blog, please do so by posting on this blog or by responding in an email at Benny A. Recine.You may inspire a blog article. I look forward to your comments.

About Me

I have been a project manager for over 12 years. I have been part of a PMO and have been a program manager with international experience. I believe to have a strong PMO, you must have a strong PMO Lead. My discussions are designed to help project managers, program managers and PMO Managers.
Contact me at: benny.recine@bennythepm.com